Convertible and pilable furniture sets for living rooms

ABSTRACT

A living room furniture set consisting of a couch, armchairs, banquettes and central console table wherein the couch is modularly corresponding to various associated armchairs having individual seat and back units. The back unit structures are provided with an upholstered surface that is tiltable over its associated seat. The central console table is modularly corresponding to various associated banquettes having reversible cushions. The tiltable elements and the cushions are provided with an upholstered side, for sitting down, and with an overlay face of rigid laminated material for supporting objects in general. The armchairs, the banquettes and the central console table can be easily piled upon the couch, thus providing a compact easily movable block.

United States Patent [191 Facury June 18, 1974 [76] Inventor: Guilherme Facury, Av. Jabaquara,

1358/1380, Sao Paulo, Brazil 01000 [22] Filed: Dec. 20, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 316,988

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 8/1962 Frank 297/124 X 3,057,661 10/1962 Moxley 297/239 X 3,093,410 6/1963 Wilson 297/119 Primary ExaminerJames C. Mitchell Attorney, Agent, or FirmD. Paul Weaver 57 ABSTRACT A living room furniture set consisting of a couch, armchairs, banquettes and central console table wherein the couch is modularly corresponding to various associated armchairs having individual seat and back units. The back unit structures are provided with an upholstered surface that is tiltable over its associated seat. The central console table is modularly corresponding to various associated banquettes having reversible cushions. The tiltable elements and the cushions are provided with an upholstered side, for sitting down, and with an overlay face ofv rigid laminated material for supporting objects in general. The armchairs, the banquettes and the central console table can be easily piled upon the couch, thus providing a compact easily movable block.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures CONVERTIBLE AND PILABLE FURNITURE SETS FOR LIVING ROOMS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is widely known, all furniture pieces until now used in living or drawing rooms are designed and planned only to accomplish satisfactorily a specific function. Thus, the chairs, armchairs, banquettes and 1 all of its eight basic pieces being piled up and forming puffes are only employed for sitting down while central or lateral console tables have been specifically drawn up to be devices for supporting objects.

Excepting for davenports and sofa beds, no other living room furniture pieces are known having a double function. In addition, all double-function pieces have proven to be inefficient in performing one of its functions, at least for a long term period. Considering the present tendency to build homes and houses more compactly and functionally, with a substantial reduction of the global room, particularly in modern apartment buildings, it is quite desirable to provide a change in the traditional concepts of fumiture in terms of a certain multifunctionality whilst providing an upgrading in the room/use relation aspects so as to reduce the filled space when the furniture isnot being used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the main object of this invention to provide a convertible furniture set for living rooms, more specifically a modular living room set, consisting of eight basic pieces, all of them devised so as to allow its thorough utilization in at least two functions, the main one being to provide sitting means and the second one being to provide supporting surfaces.

It is another object of this invention to provide a living room set by means of which smaller pieces may be piled up over the greater ones providing a generally parallel-ipipe'dic pile, which provides remarkable advantages either for room cleaning or for the relocation of the furniture when required.

Still another object of this invettion is the provision of a living room set consisting of eight basic pieces with double-functional features, providing an unexpected versatility in its utilization. Yet another object of this invention is that of providing a versatile and pilable living room set, consisting of eight aesthetically and functionally integrated elements, whose upper surfaces, either in the back elements of a seat structure or of cushions, are convertible, offering in its conversion a second working surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the living room set, showing the eight pieces of the set'in working condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a couch;

, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a central console table in its double functional convertible utilization;

FIG. 4 is a side view of an armchair in its usual position;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the armchair, when converted to a side console table, having its usual upholstered side fully tilted upon its seat; and

a single block.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT sole table 3 and two armchairs 4 (FIG. 1).

The couch includes a base 5 with supporting legs 6 and lateral arms 7. An independent sitting structure is formed by seats 8 and back elements 9 pivotally connected to the seats 8, thus permitting tilting of the back elements 9 into an over-turned position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The back elements 9 are provided with a cushioned frontal face and a rear face of rigid, flat material 9b whereby, when tilting the said back element upon the seat 8, it will be converted into a console table.

The four banquettes 2 include a base 10 with supporting legs 11, said base having slightly upstanding sides providing a peripheral edge 12 defining an inner housing for a loose cushion 13 having an upholstered face 13a and a rigid, flat material covered face 13b allowing by the mere exposition of one or another of the faces, the conversion of the piece from a sitting banquette into a lateral console table.

As far as the central console table 3 is concerned, it is constructed similarly to the banquettes 2 and comprises a base 14, legs 15 and two cushions 16, that each have an upholstered face 16a and another face covered with rigid, flat material overlay 16b, fitted into the free space provided within the peripheral edges 17 of the fiat and rigid top 18 of the base 14 (FIG. 3).

Finally, the two armchairs 4 are each provided with a base 19, legs 20, arms 21, a seat element 22 and a back element 23. The seat and back elements are pivotally interconnected by means of hinges 24, permitting the over-turning of the upright back element upon the seat (FIGS. 4 and 5) in the same manner as with the in dividual seat and back structure of the couch l.

The back element is provided with an upholstered face 23a and a face 23b overlayed with a fiat and rigid material, said face 23b facilitating the use of the piece as a side console table (FIG. 5) by the full tilting thereof over the fixed seat.

FIG. 6 shows the final results of the piling up of the pieces of the set, providing a compact block fon'ned by the mere overplacing of the smaller parts over the bigger ones allowed by the constructive modulated features by which the cushions or tilted backs fit exactly within the leg structure of the armchairs, banquettes and table,

I claim:

1. In a convertible furniture set comprising a plurality of pieces of furniture, a convertible piece of furniture having a positionable part with first and second oppositely disposed surfaces, the first of said surfaces being relatively soft so as to enable the body of a person to bear comfortably against it and the second of said surfaces being relatively hard so as to enable it to support objects; means so mounting the part to the piece of furniture that it may be moved between a first position ery of said mounting means and said legs being dimensioned with respect to another of the pieces of furniture such that the positionable part of the other piece of furniture fits substantially exactly with said legs in one lateral degree of freedom, whereby said convertible piece of furniture may be stacked on the other piece of fumiture.

2. The convertible piece of furniture of claim 1 wherein said piece of furniture is an annchair that comprises a fixed seat; and wherein said part is a back element pivotally connected to the seat so as to be movable between said first and second positions in such a manner that the back element in its first position extends upwardly of the seat with its first surface facing toward the seat and said back element in its second position overlies the seat with its second surface facing upwardly, said armchair further including lateral arms mounted to said mounting means, said lateral anns being substantially the same height as said back element in its second position, whereby another of the pieces of furniture of the furniture set may be stacked compactly on said armchair with said lateral arms of said armchair supporting the mounting means of the other piece of furniture.

3. The convertible piece of furniture of claim 1 wherein said piece of furniture is a couch having a plurality of fixed seats; wherein one of said parts is associated with each of said seats; and wherein each of said parts is a back element pivotally connected to its associated seat so as to be movable between said first and second positions in such a manner that each back element in its first position extends upwardly of its associated seat with its first surface facing toward the seat and each back element in its second position overlies the seat with its second surface facing upwardly; and further comprising: a resting arm at each of the lateral ends of the couch, said mounting means being dimensioned with respect to other pieces of furniture of the set for supporting the legs of other pieces of furniture when the other pieces of furniture are stacked on said couch.

4. The convertible piece of furniture of claim 1 wherein said piece of furniture is a banquette having a base and lateral walls extending upwardly of the base along the periphery of the base to thereby define a housing; and wherein said part is a cushion that is removably received in said housing in such a manner that either of said surfaces may face upwardly.

'5. The convertible piece of furniture of claim 1 wherein said piece of furniture is a central console table having a base and lateral walls extending upwardly of the base along the periphery of the base to thereby define a housing; and wherein a plurality of said parts, each of which of said parts is a cushion, are removably received in said housing in such a manner that either of said surfaces may face upwardly.

6. The furniture set of claim 1 comprising a plurality of said pieces of furniture; wherein a first of said pieces of furniture comprises: a fixed seat; a back element,

constitutiong said part, pivotally connected to the seat so as to be movable between said first and second positions in such a manner that the back element in its first position extends upwarly of the seat with its first surface facing toward the seat and the back element in its second position overlies the seat with its second surface facing upwardly; wherein a second of said pieces of furniture comprises: a base; and spaced supporting legs extending downwardly of the base; and wherein the width of the back element is less than the spacing between the legs whereby, when the back element is in its second position, said second piece of furniture may be piled on top of said first piece of furniture.

7. The furniture set of claim 1 comprising a plurality of said pieces of furniture; wherein a first of said pieces of furniture comprises: a base; lateral walls extending upwardly of the base along the periphery of the base to thereby define a housing; and a cushion, constituting said part, removably received in said housing in such a manner that either of said surfaces may face upwardly; wherein a second of said pieces of furniture comprises: a base; and spaced supporting legs extending downwardly of the base; and wherein the width of the cushion is less than the spacing between the legs whereby said second piece of furniture may be piled on top of said first piece of furniture. 

1. In a convertible furniture set comprising a plurality of pieces of furniture, a convertible piece of furniture having a positionable part with first and second oppositely disposed surfaces, the first of said surfaces being relatively soft so as to enable the body of a person to bear comfortably against it and the second of said surfaces being relatively hard so as to enable it to support objects; means so mounting the part to the piece of furniture that it may be moved between a first position wherein said first surface faces in a direction to bear against the body of the person and a second position wherein said second surface faces upwardly of the piece of furniture; and legs extending from the periphery of said mounting means and said legs being dimensioned with respect to another of the pieces of furniture such that the positionable part of the other piece of furniture fits substantially exactly with said legs in one lateral degree of freedom, whereby said convertible piece of furniture may be stacked on the other piece of furniture.
 2. THe convertible piece of furniture of claim 1 wherein said piece of furniture is an armchair that comprises a fixed seat; and wherein said part is a back element pivotally connected to the seat so as to be movable between said first and second positions in such a manner that the back element in its first position extends upwardly of the seat with its first surface facing toward the seat and said back element in its second position overlies the seat with its second surface facing upwardly, said armchair further including lateral arms mounted to said mounting means, said lateral arms being substantially the same height as said back element in its second position, whereby another of the pieces of furniture of the furniture set may be stacked compactly on said armchair with said lateral arms of said armchair supporting the mounting means of the other piece of furniture.
 3. The convertible piece of furniture of claim 1 wherein said piece of furniture is a couch having a plurality of fixed seats; wherein one of said parts is associated with each of said seats; and wherein each of said parts is a back element pivotally connected to its associated seat so as to be movable between said first and second positions in such a manner that each back element in its first position extends upwardly of its associated seat with its first surface facing toward the seat and each back element in its second position overlies the seat with its second surface facing upwardly; and further comprising: a resting arm at each of the lateral ends of the couch, said mounting means being dimensioned with respect to other pieces of furniture of the set for supporting the legs of other pieces of furniture when the other pieces of furniture are stacked on said couch.
 4. The convertible piece of furniture of claim 1 wherein said piece of furniture is a banquette having a base and lateral walls extending upwardly of the base along the periphery of the base to thereby define a housing; and wherein said part is a cushion that is removably received in said housing in such a manner that either of said surfaces may face upwardly.
 5. The convertible piece of furniture of claim 1 wherein said piece of furniture is a central console table having a base and lateral walls extending upwardly of the base along the periphery of the base to thereby define a housing; and wherein a plurality of said parts, each of which of said parts is a cushion, are removably received in said housing in such a manner that either of said surfaces may face upwardly.
 6. The furniture set of claim 1 comprising a plurality of said pieces of furniture; wherein a first of said pieces of furniture comprises: a fixed seat; a back element, constitutiong said part, pivotally connected to the seat so as to be movable between said first and second positions in such a manner that the back element in its first position extends upwarly of the seat with its first surface facing toward the seat and the back element in its second position overlies the seat with its second surface facing upwardly; wherein a second of said pieces of furniture comprises: a base; and spaced supporting legs extending downwardly of the base; and wherein the width of the back element is less than the spacing between the legs whereby, when the back element is in its second position, said second piece of furniture may be piled on top of said first piece of furniture.
 7. The furniture set of claim 1 comprising a plurality of said pieces of furniture; wherein a first of said pieces of furniture comprises: a base; lateral walls extending upwardly of the base along the periphery of the base to thereby define a housing; and a cushion, constituting said part, removably received in said housing in such a manner that either of said surfaces may face upwardly; wherein a second of said pieces of furniture comprises: a base; and spaced supporting legs extending downwardly of the base; and wherein the width of the cushion is less than the spacing between the legs whereby said second piece of fuRniture may be piled on top of said first piece of furniture. 